Ames runaways caught after high speed chase, crash

Four teenage runaways from a youth shelter in Ames were involved in a police chase and a crash near Des Moines this morning. West Des Moines police Sergeant Mike Ficcola says an officer tried to pull over the S-U-V after an off-duty policeman spotted it weaving badly and thought the driver might be drunk. When the officer tried to stop the vehicle, it took off and fled at high speeds, eventually entering a construction area under development, crashed through barricades and hit a piece of heavy machinery. Ficcola says the 1979 Blazer flipped and all four occupants were hurt. All four were boys who’d run away from the Rosedale Shelter in Ames. One had possibly serious injuries, the other three had minor injuries. Ficcola says all four were in their late teens. No names have been released. Blood samples were taken from the driver to determine if he was impaired. Ficcola says charges are pending.